PETOSKEY — Petoskey Downtown Management Board members continued Tuesday to line up the resources for a road trolley service to operate in the business district and nearby areas this summer.

Last month, the board decided to purchase a used trolley offered by Stafford’s Hospitality at the price of $1 — contingent upon the trolley’s ability to operate in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The trolley, a 1972 model, predates this law and is not equipped with a wheelchair lift. On Tuesday, downtown director Becky Goodman said she had checked with the Federal Transit Authority about the matter. Given the vehicle’s historic nature and the intent to use it as an amusement rather than as part of a transportation fleet running a regularly scheduled route, it would be exempt from the Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.

“It’s a goodwill gesture,” she said of the proposed trolley operation. “It’s an amusement. It’s something fun to do.”

The board unanimously decided to accept the trolley from Stafford’s, with member David Marvin — a vice president at Stafford’s — abstaining to avoid any conflict of interest.

At the recommendation of a subcommittee researching trolley service possibilities, the board also allotted up to $10,000 in funds from the downtown programming and services budget to help fund the trolley program on a trial basis this summer. Those dollars would be combined with sponsorship funds to cover trolley expenses.

“This committee felt that $10,000 coming from non-sponsorship funds would be a good starting point,” Goodman said.

The trolley route is expected to include a handful of stops around the business district, as well as others in nearby areas such as Bay View and the Petoskey waterfront, and to be available to passengers at no charge.

Those involved with the planning process still must determine how frequently the available funding will allow the trolley to run. A part-time driver — holding a commercial driver’s license — will need to be hired as well.

Noise questions

Also on Tuesday, Goodman reported findings from some research into how other communities have dealt with noise issues that involve businesses.

This topic arose last summer at a board meeting after County Emmet Celtic Shop began offering performances of live bagpipe music outside its entrance. Board member Jennifer Shorter, whose Grandpa Shorter’s Gifts store is located across Lake Street from County Emmet, voiced some frustrations about the noise level of the bagpipes.

Last month, board member James Reid III noted that the board hadn’t decided on a specific direction to take with the noise questions, and that the matter could come up again this year. He said Tuesday that he had brought up the matter after several business community members had asked about it.

In April, the board directed Goodman to look into how noise issues had been dealt with elsewhere.

On Tuesday, Goodman said the issue appeared to be a common one for communities, and that a variety of approaches had been used. One was a petition process by which community members could request that troublesome noise be toned down. Another involved “friendly intervention” to try and resolve the concerns.

Ordinances have used a variety of approaches to regulate noise, she said.

“These ordinances are hard to enforce,” she added. “Free-speech issues and how they stand up in court can be an issue.”

Goodman said Petoskey’s existing city ordinance dealing with noise would apply to issues on private property.

City manager Dan Ralley said this ordinance has a fairly loose definition of what noises are prohibited, focusing on those that annoy or offend, and that emphasis is given to controlling noise during the overnight hours.

The board did not take any steps toward establishing new noise rules for businesses.

“Personally, I think it’s an issue of how you make an ordinance that fixes one thing and doesn’t break three others,” Marvin said.

Board chairman Larry Rochon added, “I hope that friendly intervention would play the role here.”

County Emmet owner Ed Karmann has said he plans to have summer employee Geoff Clark play bagpipes at the store again this summer. In response to noise concerns last year, Karmann dialed down the frequency and length of the performances — ultimately to no more than four daily performances of five minutes each — and said he plans to stick with that compromise schedule this year.